A/N: This chapter took me awhile to write because I was so nervous about bringing Tonks into the fold. But I like the end result, and I hope you will, too! Enjoy!

MissRoli: I never realized the "Principal Skinner" connection – but I laughed out loud after I read your review, because you're absolutely right! I love Principal Skinner.

Evangelion999: Totally HBP canon. I'm going to stay as true to the story as possible.

Potterlegacyfan: Yeah, they'll see each other – just not yet! Keep reading!

OliviaAlexander: Oh, I so hate him! Don't worry, he will be portrayed as the evil rat bastard that he is!

Thanks for reading and reviewing! I love you all!

I don't own Harry Potter

The New Order

The day after the meeting, Remus received another owl from Dumbledore. This message stated that he would be stopping by for a visit that evening.

"What more does the man want with us?" Sirius exclaimed when Remus told him of the letter's contents. "Does he take pleasure in torturing us?"

"Maybe he has a mission for us," Remus mused.

"It's a possibility," Sirius said dubiously. "Or maybe he wants me to help with the protective charms on my parents' house."

"Your house," Remus corrected softly.

Sirius grimaced. "I hate the idea. I never had any love for that house when I lived there. Now I just . . . like I told you the other day, it's just a reminder of a childhood I'd rather forget."

"You do realize that you're going to have to go back there, right?" Remus asked. "We're going to have meetings all the time. You know what it was like before. We're going to be spending a lot of time at headquarters."

"Yeah, I know," Sirius replied. "I'm trying to come to terms with it."

"Sirius . . ."

"Remus, just stop," Sirius sighed. "I don't want to talk about this right now."

Remus nodded silently, knowing that if Sirius truly did not want to discuss the issue, there was no point in trying to force him to do so. He put the letter from Dumbledore on the coffee table, and went into the kitchen to make dinner.

Dumbledore arrived promptly at eight thirty, the time designated in his message. Once again, Remus was the one to admit him to the house; once again, Sirius was sitting in the living room as he entered. Dumbledore gave them both cheery smiles as they exchanged pleasantries. He could tell that the two men were eager to discover the purpose for his visit; he quickly brought the conversation to its point.

"I suppose you are both curious as to why I have come to call again so soon?"

"We did just see you yesterday," Sirius replied. He frowned slightly. "Has something happened to Harry?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Only age."

"Only age?" Sirius repeated.

"He has gone from a darling little boy to a moody teenager," Dumbledore smiled. "I cannot say that it was unexpected."

"We'll have to be careful with him," Remus said slowly, thinking back to his experiences with the "moody teenagers" he had taught.

"I know," Dumbledore said. "Though I am sure he will hate me for it, I am hoping to leave him with his aunt for a bit longer."

"Why?" Sirius asked. "He hates being there; if he's truly going through some moody phase, wouldn't it be better to take him away from a place he hates?"

"We don't have another safe place to take him."

"What about the Burrow?" Sirius suggested. "I know he spent time there last summer."

"He has spent time there in years past, as well," Dumbledore said. "But at this point, the Burrow simply is not safe enough. It would not only risk Harry's life to take him there, but it would also jeopardize the entire Weasley family."

"So where would you have him go?" Remus asked.

"I want to bring him to Number 12 Grimmauld Place."

"But I thought there was still work to be done on the protective charms?" Remus asked.

"There is. That is why he must stay with his family for the time being." Dumbledore looked at them over his half-moon spectacles. "There is also the issue of the lack of adult supervision at our headquarters."

"Who will be living there when he arrives?" Sirius frowned.

"I would like for it to be the two of you."

Sirius could not have looked more shocked if Dumbledore had told him that Peter Pettigrew was waiting outside, ready to apologize for all his sins. Remus looked at Sirius for a moment, then back at Dumbledore.

"You want us to move into Sirius's house?"

"Yes. You would be able to provide stability for Harry as soon as we are able to take him away from his family." He paused. "I also want to have someone living there to be a contact person for the Order. We need a 'command central,' if you will, with people who are willing and able to man it. It makes the most sense to have Sirius there. The protection on the house will enable him to remain hidden from the Ministry far better than any other charms we could use."

"And Remus?" Sirius asked.

"Remus," Dumbledore sighed. "I am sorry to say that with all that I have heard of new restrictions on werewolves that are being discussed in the Ministry, living rent-free may become a rather large benefit of being a member of the Order."

"What are they going to do now?" Remus asked dully.

"They are discussing legislation that would require werewolves to state their status on all job and academic applications," Dumbledore said. "As you know, in the past, it has been up to the employer or educator to seek this information."

"But no one will hire a werewolf!" Remus exclaimed, jumping out of his seat. "If I'm forced to state what I am before I can even have an interview, there is no way in the world I'll ever work again!"

"Some people would be okay with it," Sirius said supportively. "Look at Dumbledore. He let you into Hogwarts."

"Yes, but Dumbledore is one person," Remus said. He looked at his former headmaster. "You know how much your trust has meant to me, sir. I will be grateful to you forever for what you did for me when I was a child and throughout my adult life. But you have to admit that most people do not see my situation as you do."

"No, you are correct in saying so," Dumbledore sighed. "I'm afraid that I must tell you that the legislation does not stop there."

"What else can there be?" Remus asked desperately.

"All employers who do choose to hire werewolves will be required to review the werewolf's job performance weekly, and to send these reviews into the Ministry. They are also required to pay a processing fee with each review they submit. Additionally, they are required to pay a rather large sum monthly to cover the cost of the Aurors that will be stationed at their places of business during all hours that the werewolves work."

"What?" Remus whispered, all color draining from his face. "No one will do all that. It would be easier – and cheaper – to hire three other people."

"I'm afraid that is their aim in creating this legislation," Dumbledore said sadly. "I'm sorry to have to be the one to bring you this news, Remus."

"Who?" Remus asked, his eyes flashing. "Who did this? Whose brilliant idea was this? Was it Fudge?"

"No, it was the brainchild of Dolores Umbridge. Do you know her?"

"I may have heard the name," Remus said, frowning. "I'm sure I've never met her."

"Sounds like that's for the best," Sirius said. "Should we lock her up with you on the night of the full moon?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Violence isn't always the answer, you know."

"Well, it seems like it's the answer this time."

Dumbledore smiled again and shook his head. "Will the two of you consent to live at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, then?"

"What choice do I have?" Remus sighed.

"I suppose," Sirius said reluctantly.

"I know I am asking a lot of you, Sirius" Dumbledore said softly. "Believe me, I would not suggest this if I did not think it was the only way to keep you safe. Right now, the best way to keep you out of the Ministry's hands is to make you invisible. Staying in the house can do that for you."

Sirius nodded. "I suppose I'm like Remus. I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Remember that in staying at our headquarters, you will provide a vital link between Order members."

"When will we move in?"

"As soon as possible. I'd like your help in making the house Unplottable. If you can be there tomorrow, that would be perfect."

Remus looked at Sirius. "Well?"

"You're the one with a house to deal with," Sirius shrugged. "It's up to you."

Remus let his eyes travel around the living room. "I should sell it," he said slowly. "If I'm not going to be living here, it doesn't make sense to keep making payments."

"Do you want to stay here until it's sold?" Sirius asked.

"No, we can leave sooner," Remus replied. "It's not as if I'll be paying for two places. It will sell just as easily if we're here than if we're not."

"You will come tomorrow, then?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes," Remus agreed.

Sirius nodded. "And how soon after that will Harry join us?"

"He will stay with his aunt until I think he will be safer with us," Dumbledore said in a tone that told them quite plainly that the subject was closed. "Do either of you have any other questions?"

"No," Remus said.

Sirius shook his head.

"Well, then," Dumbledore said, rising to his feet, "I will say good night. I will see you at the house tomorrow morning."

Once the door had closed behind Dumbledore, Sirius looked at Remus in disbelief.

"What?" Remus asked, knowing full well what was coming.

"He's sending me back there!" Sirius exploded. "My parents kept me locked up in that house for fifteen years, and now he's doing the same thing! And he won't even let us have Harry! He's making him stay with that aunt and uncle that he hates instead of letting him come to us!"

"Sirius, you've been in that house," Remus said. "It's no place for Harry to stay. We need to clean it up before he gets there."

"He wouldn't mind!" Sirius yelled. He clasped his hands together to keep himself from throwing Remus's things. "Sometimes I just don't understand what Dumbledore is thinking!"

"He's thinking about keeping you alive and out of prison," Remus said quietly. "He's thinking about keeping Harry away from Voldemort. Dumbledore knows what he's doing, Sirius. He generally makes the right decisions."

"I know," Sirius said bitterly. "Just let me be angry for awhile, okay?"

Remus smiled. "Sure."

Sirius began to rant again, but Remus barely heard a word of it. He was lost in his memories, thinking of the number of times that Sirius had exploded in fits of temper like this during their time at Hogwarts together. During those days, James had been the best one at talking Sirius out of horrible tempers and sullen depressions. Now that James was gone, who would be there to help Sirius?

He needed to talk to Olivia. Soon.

Remus and Sirius were both awake early the next morning. They spent several hours packing up everything in Remus's house, using their wands to shrink the boxes down to sizes that could be easily slipped into their pockets. When at last they had finished, Remus surveyed his empty house silently.

"Are you all right, Moony?" Sirius asked.

"No," Remus whispered. "Sirius, this was my home. It's been home to me ever since my Laura died – it's been my refuge from the world. And now I have to leave it all because of some stupid legislation written by some brainless woman that I've never even met. My entire life is being turned upside down because of something that I can't control."

"Better that than because of something that was entirely your decision, your idea, and your fault," Sirius said quietly.

Remus looked at him with wide eyes, realizing what he meant. "Sirius, I didn't mean– "

"Don't worry about it," Sirius said, pulling on his traveling cloak. "Come on, let's get to headquarters before Dumbledore starts to think that we're not coming."

Having learned their lesson during their previous visit to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, Sirius and Remus entered the house silently. They crept through the entrance hall, trying not to disturb the portrait of Mrs. Black.

"Old hag," Sirius whispered as he walked past.

Remus bit his lips to keep from laughing.

Once they had made it into the house, they were greeted by Dumbledore himself. He beamed when he saw them.

"Good morning!" he said cheerfully. "I'm glad to see that you decided to get an early start."

"We didn't want you to think we were going back on our word," Sirius replied.

"Of course," Dumbledore said. "It's a good thing you're hear so early; we're going to have a full membership meeting this afternoon. I'm sure you'll want to be settled in before that."

"Are any of the new members coming?" Remus asked.

"Moody is bringing the two Aurors he spoke of," Dumbledore replied. "I've asked the Weasleys to come next week. I want to work with the old Order members and the trained Aurors before we start bringing anyone else in." He paused. "I've also asked the Weasley family to move in until the start of the school year."

"Why?" Sirius asked blankly.

"Because Ron Weasley is Harry's best friend, and because Molly Weasley is the closest thing to a mother he can remember knowing," Dumbledore said simply. "The Weasleys have provided Harry with a great deal of stability in the past. They have been a family to him in a way that his own relatives never have. I know that having the two of you here will be very important to him, but I think that having them here as well will make his transition from his quiet Muggle life to a war torn wizarding world much easier."

Remus nodded, but Sirius looked mutinous. Dumbledore chose to ignore Sirius's reaction, and continued speaking.

"Please, take the rest of the day to choose your bedrooms and establish yourselves in the house. The meeting will begin at four this afternoon."

"We'll be there," Remus said. "Come on, Sirius. Let's go check out the bedroom selection before anyone else tries to claim the best room."

"They're all pretty much the same," Sirius shrugged.

"Ah, just a moment," Dumbledore said as they started to leave the room. "Please leave the room with the portrait of Phineas for Harry."

"What room would that be?" Remus frowned.

"I know which one he means," Sirius said. "He has another portrait in your office, doesn't he?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "I'd like him to help us keep an eye on Harry."

"If you can convince him to do it," Sirius said with a hint of a smile. "Let's go upstairs, Moony."

"Who's Phineas?" Remus asked as they walked up the stairs to the second floor.

"My great-grandfather," Sirius replied. "There's a portrait of him in one of the bedrooms. He was headmaster of Hogwarts in his day – the least popular person to ever hold the position."

"Quite a distinction," Remus grinned.

"Ah, well, at least he's known for something," Sirius replied. He paused to open a door. "This was my room."

"When you were little?"

"Yeah," Sirius shuddered, and closed the door. "I don't think I want to stay there. Someone else can have it."

"Which room do you want?" Remus asked.

Sirius looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think I want Regulus's room."

Remus raised his eyebrows.

"I think it will help me to remember him as a little kid – before he got all mixed up with the Death Eaters, when I still thought we were both going to get out of this family."

Remus nodded slowly. "Which room was his?" he asked quietly.

"That one," Sirius said, pointing at a closed door.

"Take it," Remus said in the same soft voice. "Which room will be Harry's?"

"That one down there," he said, pointing out a second closed door.

Remus nodded. "I'll take this one, then," he said, randomly choosing the room across the hall from Sirius's childhood sleeping quarters.

Sirius nodded. "All right, then. Shall we start unpacking?"

"We'd better. We have a meeting to get to."

Shortly before four, Sirius walked into Remus's room. Remus had already finished unpacking, and was writing a letter.

"Who are you writing to?" Sirius asked, sitting down on the bed.

"Laura," Remus replied.

Sirius blinked, then smiled. "Remember how I said she was still a baby in my mind? When you said her name, I thought you meant Laura . . . your Laura."

Remus smiled sadly. "You have to meet her, Sirius. You'd just love her."

"I want to," Sirius said, grinning. "She must be something to have won such devotion from you."

Remus smiled and shook his head. "She's like Harry. She had me wrapped around her little finger from the first time I held her."

"Harry . . ." Sirius sighed. "I can't believe Dumbledore thinks we need the Weasleys here to help us with him. Doesn't he think we're capable of caring for him?" A look of defiance came into his eyes. "James and Lily certainly thought I could handle their son."

"I don't think it's that, Sirius," Remus said gently. "Dumbledore meant what he said. The Weasleys have always been a stabilizing force in Harry's life. They, and Hermione Granger, are his family in a way no one has been since James and Lily died. I know how much they all mean to him. Remember, I spent an entire year with him at school. He depends on Ron and Hermione as much as you, James, Peter and I depended on each other, if not more." He looked straight into Sirius's eyes. "I think having them here is just what we need. It's just what Harry needs."

"I guess you're right," Sirius said reluctantly.

Remus smiled. "Besides, it'll be good to have someone else to help us clean out the house."

"That's true," Sirius said, smiling slightly. He glanced at his watch. "Come on. We'd better get downstairs before we're late for this meeting."

As they started down the stairs, a loud crash reached their ears. They exchanged confused looks just as Mrs. Black started screaming.

"Oh, no, not again!" Sirius yelled. He ran down the rest of the stairs with Remus at his heels.

"Filth! Disgracing the home of my fathers, the home of my –"

"STUPEFY!" Sirius bellowed, bringing an abrupt end to the shrieks.

"I'm so sorry! I had no idea!" a young woman with curtains of long, dark hair exclaimed, setting the umbrella stand she had knocked over upright again.

"Hush," Sirius said sharply. "We don't want to wake her up again. The old hag is as bad in portrait form as she was in person."

The woman straightened up, and looked at him fully. "Sirius?" she asked.

"Yes?" he asked, looking at her curiously. There was something about her that was so familiar, but he couldn't place her.

"It's me! Tonks!"

His face changed to a look of incredulous disbelief. "Dora?" he asked.

"Yes!"

"Look at you!" he exclaimed, crossing the hall in two strides to pull her close. He grabbed her in a bear hug that took her feet off the floor, and swung her around.

She laughed, and kissed his cheek. "Put me down!" she cried.

He set her back on the floor, but held her shoulders as he pulled back to look at her. "I can't believe it's really you!"

"It's really me," she grinned. "Does this help?" A look of concentration came over her face, which changed before his eyes to closely resemble the way he remembered Andromeda at their uncle's funeral.

"Is that what you really look like, then?"

"Yes," she said. She wrinkled her nose. "Didn't you like the dark hair better?"

He laughed. "Andromeda always hated her hair, too. 'Mouse brown' she called it."

"Yeah, well, she likes it well enough on me," Tonks replied, rolling her eyes. She closed her eyes, changing her hair again to make it a short, spiky pink. "What do you think she'd think of this?"

Sirius laughed again. "Oh, I've missed you! I wish I could have been there to see you grow up."

"You're here now," she said, hugging him again. "That's what matters."

Looking over her head, Sirius caught sight of Remus standing uncertainly at the bottom of the steps. He grinned and pulled back from his cousin.

"Dora, this is one of my oldest friends, Remus Lupin. He's an original Order member, back for round two."

Tonks looked around to find Remus. He smiled at her, and she felt her heart skip a beat. Yes, he was older than she was, but there was something about him . . . she didn't want to take her eyes away from him. He was one of the most attractive men she had met in ages, and there was something about that smile. . . . She finally remembered her manners, and stepped forward to greet him.

She smiled, and held out her hand to shake Remus's. "Please, call me Tonks," she said. She winked. "I'll let Sirius get away with 'Dora' because he's always called me that, but no one else can!"

"Not even your dad?" Sirius teased.

"Yeah, he always calls me that, too," she smiled.

Remus smiled as he shook her hand. "Well, it's very nice to finally meet you, Tonks. Sirius talks about you all the time."

She smiled. "Really?"

"Really." He smiled again. "Don't worry, it's all be very complimentary."

"Well, I should hope so," she grinned. "I'm just sorry I can't say that I've heard much about you. Mum always spoke very highly of Sirius's friends; I know she liked you, and I'm sure I will, too. We'll have to spend plenty of time getting to know one another."

Sirius looked between them in disbelief. Unless he was much mistaken, his cousin was flirting with his best friend! He looked at her again, noting the sparkle that had jumped into her eyes when she had started talking to Remus. He smiled to himself, wondering where this would go.

"We'd better get to the meeting, guys," he said.

"Yeah, Moody will go insane if we're late," Tonks said, still smiling up at Remus.

"Same old Moody," Sirius said cheerfully. "We're in the kitchen, right?"

"Right," Remus said. "Lead away."

Several others were already gathered in the kitchen by the time they got there, including Moody himself. He was talking to a man Sirius had never seen before, but whose eyes lit up when he saw Sirius enter the room. He said something to Moody, and crossed to greet Sirius with his hand already outstretched.

"Sirius Black," he said with a grin.

"Yes?" Sirius asked, frowning slightly. This time, he was positive that this dark-skinned man was not one of his relatives.

"I'm Kingsley Shacklebolt," he said. "I'm the Auror in charge of the search for you."

"Are you here to arrest me, then?" Sirius asked, only half joking.

"Now why would I do that?" he asked, grinning again. "All my recent intelligence suggests that you're hiding out in Germany. It's so difficult to find escaped convicts once they find their way to Continental Europe."

Sirius grinned, realizing that he had found a new friend. "Well, just to give you a heads up, I plan to head to Russia next. I've always wanted to see it."

"I'll keep that in mind," Kingsley said, giving him a wink. He looked past him, and his grin widened. "Tonks! I thought I heard something breaking a while ago! Was that you coming in?"

"Oh, sod off," she said, slapping his arm affectionately. "Have you met Remus Lupin?"

"Not yet," Kingsley said, extending his hand again. "Kingsley Shacklebolt."

"It's nice to meet you," Remus said, shaking his hand.

While they started talking, Sirius grabbed Tonks's arm, pulling her away from the others.

"What's up?" she asked, looking up at him.

"I'd like to ask you the same thing," he said, grinning at her. "What exactly just happened here?"

"I just introduced Remus to Kingsley," she said, frowning slightly.

"I meant before that," Sirius said. "I was talking about when I introduced you to Remus."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, flushing slightly. Am I that obvious?

"Okay," Sirius said skeptically.

"Oh, Sirius, leave it," she said impatiently. "Nothing happened."

"Right," he replied in the same skeptical tone.

"If everyone could please take their seats?"

Seeing Dumbledore trying to call the meeting to order, Sirius ushered Tonks to a nearby seat, taking the seat next to hers. Remus joined them, sitting down on Sirius's other side. Sirius glanced at Tonks to see if she was upset about the seating arrangement, but she was staring determinedly at Dumbledore.

The meeting was rather short, all things considered. Its main objective was to introduce Tonks and Kingsley, but Dumbledore also brought everyone up to date on the status of the protective charms being placed on the building. He assured them that the Fidelius would be performed within the week; making the building Unplottable would take considerably longer.

After the meeting, the members stayed to chat, reacquainting themselves with one another and getting to know Tonks and Kingsley. Sirius found himself to be quite popular; plenty of his colleagues wanted to talk to him about his recent activities. Even as he was engaged in other conversations, he found himself searching for Remus. He grinned to realize that Tonks was rarely far from his side.

For his part, Remus was quite impressed by the grown-up Tonks. He only remembered snapshots of her from her childhood. Even though Sirius had talked about her almost nonstop since finding out that she was joining the Order, he still hadn't been sure what to expect. Now, as she stood talking to him, listening as though he was the most interesting person she had ever conversed with, he was certain that Moody had made the right decision in asking her to join the Order. She had a maturity about her that belied her young age, and a fiery, passionate eagerness to help in the battle against Voldemort that reminded him of himself and his friends when they had first joined the Order. And we were even younger than she is now, he reminded himself. How could the first war have been so long ago?

It was late when the socializing finally came to an end. Sirius and Remus bade their guests farewell, knowing that they would be seeing them very frequently in the future. Tonks was the last to leave. She hugged Sirius tightly at the door.

"I'm so glad I've found you again," she said. "I can't wait to tell Mum."

"She doesn't know yet?"

"Not yet. Dumbledore doesn't want me to tell her until we're sure that there's no way anyone can find you, even if word does get out that you're back in the area."

"I hope that's soon," Sirius said. "I can't wait to see her again."

"She'll be excited to see you, too," Tonks assured him. "I guess I'll see you at the next meeting, then."

"Come sooner, if you want," Sirius invited. "It's just Remus and I in the house for now; goodness knows we'd like the company. Wouldn't we, Remus?"

"Of course," Remus said, smiling at her. "Come anytime you'd like. It would be nice to have visitors who are here for some reason other than Order business."

"Maybe I will," she said, giving Remus a wide smile. "It was great talking to you tonight, Remus. I'll see you soon."

"Good night," he smiled.

She squeezed Sirius's hand one last time, then took her leave. She walked out into the darkness surrounding the house, then Disapparated. Sirius closed the door behind her, then turned to Remus with a grin.

"Well," he said.

"Deep thought," Remus grinned.

"It's a shallow well," Sirius shot back.

"What are you on about, Sirius?" Remus asked as he walked down the hall to extinguish the lights in the kitchen before going up to bed.

"You and Tonks."

"Me and Tonks?" Remus repeated, stopping and turning to face him again. "What are you talking about?"

"She likes you," Sirius grinned.

Remus rolled his eyes. "She likes me? What, are we in fourth year again?"

"I know, I know," Sirius laughed. "But, seriously, mate, I think she has a little crush on you."

Remus's face rapidly began to turn red. "Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not being ridiculous. I'm just telling you what I saw."

"And what would that be?"

"That she never left your side all night."

"We had never met before. We have to get to know one another if we're going to be working together for the Order."

"I didn't see Kingsley spending so much time with you."

"He talked to you quite a bit."

"But Dora didn't."

"She already knows you," Remus said dismissively.

Sirius shook his head. "She knew me when she was a little girl and I was a teenager. We don't really know each other anymore."

"Look, Sirius, there is no way that she could be interested in me."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm considerably older than her, I'm unemployed without hope of ever being employed again, and I'm a werewolf. Need any other reasons?"

"You have me convinced not to fall for you," Sirius laughed, holding up his hands. "But I'm afraid you might have to work a bit harder to convince her."

Remus shook his head. "There is no way that she would ever . . ."

Sirius laughed again. "We'll see, Moony. We'll see."